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The Death Coach: Ireland’s Omen of Doom Racing Through the Night

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One of the dark entities on the emerald island, there is the Death Coach who comes to collect the souls of the dead. Pulled by headless horses, the Cóiste Bodhar stops at nothing before its mission is complete, and misfortune happens upon those getting in its way. 

In the shadowed countryside of Ireland, where mist curls over forgotten graveyards and moonlight glints off winding roads, few legends stir the heart with more dread than that of the Death Coach. The story is today well known in British and American culture as well, but perhaps the strongest cultural impact is in Ireland.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland

Known in Irish as the Cóiste Bodhar, meaning the Deaf or Silent Coach, this phantom carriage is said to thunder through the night as a harbinger of death. Its approach is never random. Those who hear its wheels or the cry of its ghostly horses know that a soul is about to be taken from the mortal world.

The Coach of Shadows

The belief is that once the coach has come to the land of the living it cannot return empty. Once death has come to collect there is nothing on earth you can do to prevent it.

The Death Coach is said to be pulled by headless horses, sometimes four or six of them. Their hooves pounding like drums of doom upon the earth, and driven by a headless coachman cloaked in tattered black. The coach itself gleams darkly, an ornate relic of another age, its lanterns flickering with a cold, unnatural light. At the back, there is often a coffin, ready for its next victim.

The headless horseman that drives the coach is known as the Dullahan. The Dullahan is also known in Irish as Gan Ceann, meaning without head and it is usually seen either driving the coach or riding alongside on a black stallion.

Read More: The Dullahan: Ireland’s Headless Horseman of Doom 

Often, it can be heard long before it is seen, the night wind carrying the sound of galloping hooves, creaking wheels, and the crack of a whip that belongs to no living man. Sometimes it is said that the coach is summoned by the wailing of the Irish banshee, another harbinger of death. 

Those unfortunate enough to glimpse it claim that the coach is shrouded in a swirling mist and moves as though floating above the ground. The Banshee, also known as Bean Sidhe in Irish sometimes accompanies the death coach flying alongside wailing and screeching out a warning to certain families that one of their members is about to die.

An Omen That Cannot Be Escaped

According to the old stories, when the Death Coach arrives, nothing can stop it and it is a certain harbinger of death. Windows burst open, doors swing wide, and even locked gates offer no barrier as it comes to collect its chosen soul. 

Some tales tell of families hearing the dreadful noise outside their homes just before a loved one falls gravely ill or dies unexpectedly. In others, travelers crossing remote country roads are driven nearly mad by the sound of its pursuit, only to learn later that someone close to them has perished. It is not a thing to confront, for those who try are said to be struck blind or left cursed. It is also said that those who have opened the door to the Cóiste Bodhar, has had a basin of blood thrown in their faces. 

The Vanishing Doctor

One popular folklore story in Ireland of the coach-a-bower dates back to 1806. As a sick man lay on his bed dying his children sent for the doctor and sat on the outside steps waiting for his arrival. After a while, they heard the distant noise of a coach with its rumbling wheels getting closer and closer when suddenly a large dark coach entered the courtyard. The two older children, both young men, walked down the steps to greet the doctor but to their surprise, the coach didn’t stop. It continued down an avenue, passed between a fence and hedges towards a closed gate.

The two young men ran to the gate but were surprised to find it locked and that the coach had vanished without a trace. Not realising what had just happened they woke the lodge-keeper to check the whereabouts of the gate keys only to find them tucked safely under the lodge-keepers pillow. A short time after the mysterious disappearance the doctor arrived at the house, unfortunately, it was too late and the sick man passed away a few hours later.

The death of Sir Admiral Burton MacNamara in County Clare

A well known tale about the Death Coach was collected by Thomas Johnson Westropp in A Folklore Survey of County Clare from 1910. 

On December 11, 1876, a servant of the MacNamara family of Ennistymon House in County Clare was out for a late-night walk when he heard the rumbling of wheels. Upon contemplating what kind of vehicle would be out at this hour, he realised it was the Cóiste Bodhar.

The servant hurriedly opened the three gates to Ennistymon House without thinking, threw himself face down on the ground, and the death coach sped by. Instead of stopping at Ennistymon House, it continued driving until it was no longer audible or visible. In London, Sir Burton MacNamara passed away a day later.

The Death Coach comes to Ballyduff

One summer afternoon, Michael Noonan was walking toward Ballyduff to collect his repaired shoes when strange and frightening sounds filled the air. Near the abandoned Hanlon’s Mill, he heard the cries of hounds and huntsmen, even though no hunt was nearby, followed by the eerie clatter of the long-silent mill. Terrified, he fled to the village, where he met his friend Darby Haynes, who asked him to drive his horse and cart home. Relieved to avoid walking past the haunted mill after dark, Michael set off slowly under a bright moon. As he watched the moon’s reflection shimmer on the River Awbeg, it suddenly vanished, and a chill crept over him. Out of nowhere, a large black coach drawn by six headless horses and driven by a headless coachman appeared beside him, moving silently before vanishing into the night.

Shaken but alive, Michael made it home and spent a sleepless night pondering what he had seen. The next morning, he was approached by Daniel Madden, a huntsman riding in a panic, who told him that his master, Mr. Wrixton of Ballygibben, had fallen gravely ill. Michael ran to fetch the midwife as requested, but deep down, he knew it was too late. 

The Death Coach, the Cóiste Bodhar of Irish legend, had made its dreadful journey the night before, claiming yet another soul as it thundered through the countryside unseen by most, but heard by those who knew its sound meant death was near.

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References:

Death coach – Wikipedia

Superstitious Beliefs and Charms

Death Coach of Ballyduff – Cóiste Bodhar in Irish Folkore

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The Utburd of Skålvoll or the Nille-Case in Norway

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In 1687, the ghost of a murdered child started to testify against its mother in northern Norway and people took it seriously. Today, the Utburd of Skåvoll or the Nille-case is remembered as the ghost story that condemned a woman to her death. 

A Devil was discovered, who spoke loudly
Several actions unheard of and gruesome,
All about an outlived Kiæring; —
What should one consider Beelzebub’s talk,
How much will the crazy mob and pack
lend their ears to such a thing?
– Petter Dass about the Nille Case

At the farm Skålvoll in Steigen, Nordland, reports spread of a disturbing presence that manifested itself through sound rather than sight. The phenomenon knocked, scraped, cried out, and addressed the living by name. According to contemporary descriptions, the entity identified itself as the spirit of a murdered and unbaptized child. In early modern Scandinavian belief, this was recognized as an utburd, the restless dead of an infant denied both life and Christian burial 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Norway

What distinguishes the Skålvoll haunting from countless other ghost traditions is that it did not remain within folklore. It entered the legal system. In this area, the crossover between the law and the supernatural was not too uncommon, but this particular case would push the crown to change its laws as a beheading happened with no proof. Within weeks, the alleged haunting contributed to the arrest, trial, and execution of a young servant woman named Nille.

A Ghost in Steigen: The Vestfjord with the mountains of Lofoten seen from the island of Løvøy in Steigen. In these fjords, a woman was accused and accused of murdering her child, with only its alledged ghost as witness. // Photo: Finn Rindahl

The Haunting in Steigen

The earliest written account dates to 29 December 1687, authored by Arent Hartvigsøn, a local figure with strong ties to the community as the local priest. In a sworn statement, Hartvigsøn described repeated supernatural disturbances at Skålvoll, claiming to have witnessed and heard them personally. 

The spirit accused a woman named Nille of killing her child and demanded acknowledgment of a name and that its mother had to pay for her sins. Hartvigsøn’s report was forwarded to higher authorities within the Danish Norwegian administration. Nille Jensdatter was a woman working as a maid at a farm at Skålvoll close to Leines from 1670 to 1687. She moved to another farm five kilometres away, but before she left, strange things on the farm had already started to occur.

She must have been in her 30s, or around there when the whole case against her started. Allegedly she had given birth to a child when she was 16-17 years old. They said she got pregnant with the married Mads Titing that she worked with on the farm for a while. He was sent away after they were accused of having an affair. The information the ghost gave to the owners of the farm claimed that Nille had killed the alleged son with a hairband and buried it underneath a rock before going back and throwing it to the sea. They knew she had thrown it at the sea because of the eye injury she got that they claimed had to be from a pearl that hit her eye. 

Født i Dølgsmål: The law stated that if the woman had concealed the pregnancy or given birth alone and then reported that the child was stillborn or the child was missing, she was to be judged as if she had intentionally killed the child. Although many only received prison sentences, some were also punished to death. // Image: The painting “The Child Murderer” by Eyolf Soot from 1895. The original title of the painting was “Birth in Concealment”.

The ghost quickly became a public concern. Three years before she moved to the new farm, the new owners of Skåvoll farm claimed to have experienced strange things. But first after months of Nille moving out, did the ghost start talking as well as accusing. 

The new farm owners went to Hartvigsøn and wanted his help. He was trying to convince higher authorities that there was in fact a ghost haunting Skåvoll that he visited several times. 

-I heard a voice shouting “Nille moder! Nille moder!” Hartvigsøn wrote to Dean Jens. M. Møinchen in Salten. 

This got the word out and people started to talk about the haunting going on at Skåvoll Farm. Fishermen returning from the Lofoten fisheries reportedly stopped at Skålvoll to experience the phenomenon themselves. And the ghost talked, pranked and insulted those who listened. 

– I am hungry, said the ghost. – I want sausage, flatbread and butter!

The parish priest tells in detail, possibly to increase the credibility of his own account, that the ghost at that time was so impudent that it asked the county governor – who had first spoken harshly to it – to kiss its back!

Clerical Intervention and the Voice of Reason

On 12 January 1688, Prost Anders Møinichen, dean of Salten, addressed the congregation in Leines. He explicitly forbade the population from speaking to or engaging with the ghost. In his eyes, it was much more likely that it was another maid on the farm that wanted to tarnish Nille’s reputation. Or perhaps even the wife on the farm for some reason, as she allegedly encountered the ghost on the farm alone. There’s been a lot of speculation as to why someone would set her up, but few answers. 

It wasn’t necessarily from the goodness of his heart that he  tried to stop the case moving forward. He was known as one of the strictest men around, but still he protested. But there was no proof of a crime other than an alleged ghost. Møinichen warned that the spirit’s voice should not be trusted and urged the community to resist fear, repent sin, and place faith solely in God and Christ. His sermon represents an attempt to contain the situation spiritually rather than legally 

Despite this prohibition, the case had already moved beyond ecclesiastical control and she was arrested.

Arrest and Trial of Nille Jensdatter

At first Nille denied that she had ever had any children. There were whispers about her having confessed to something similar a while back among the villagers though and the rumours got wind now. It looks like she was brought back to Skåvoll where the ghost allegedly howled like a dog, and she ended up confessing as she was frightened. It took her three days to confess, and it’s not certain what happened during those days. Was she tortured? There are no records of it. Was it guilty? No proof. Was she somehow pressured to it in other ways, or did all the alleged haunting make it believe it herself? Today, we simply don’t know. 

Nille confessed publicly before the community at Leines. No physical evidence of a child’s body was ever presented in court. The alleged father, Mads Titing, was already dead and could not witness. Nevertheless, she was charged with infanticide, under Christian V’s Norwegian Law of 1687, which prescribed death for concealed childbirth resulting in the death of a child. 

The legal process was unusually swift. They didn’t mention the ghost in the trial though, but her confession was the proof. But hadn’t it been for the ghostly legends pointing her as a killer, would she ever have died? From confession to execution, less than one month passed.

The case attracted attention at the highest levels. Stattholder Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve and ultimately the king criticized the proceedings. In royal correspondence, the lack of physical evidence was explicitly condemned.

But there were eight local men that had decided she was guilty, and they also sent their letters dated November 18th 1687. They called her a whore and what was that if not proof of infantcide? The court session was on the 24th, and the verdict was confirmed on the same day they ordered the execution on the 25th. 

Execution and Aftermath of the Nille-Case

Nille was executed by beheading on 16. December, 1687, probably at or close by Leines church, most likely to a crowd. Perhaps they already knew they had a case they couldn’t prove, so they had to go through with it before higher authorities stopped them. 

The Execution: She was most likely beheaded with an axe. Legends tells that they placed her head on a stake on Gjestholmen to scare and warn people, although there is no documentation for this. Most likely the head was placed between her legs in the coffin, a final sign of disrespect before being buried somewhere outside of the cemetery and consecrated ground.

After the Skålvoll case, the county magistrate received instructions from the Danish-Norwegian king that no execution should ever be carried out again without the sentence being confirmed by royal decree. The case thus had a consequence, but it was not until 1735 that it was legally stipulated that all death sentences should be confirmed by royal decree. But for Nille it was already too late.

Leiranger kirke: The new church from 1911 in the picture. Most likely it was around here, Nille was executed. When a new church was to be built in 1734 on the other side of the fjord, a spring flood carried the materials to Leines. And the people took this as a sign of where God wanted the church to stand. // Source: Eva Smådahl/Riksantikvaren

The Utburd as Legal Actor

Following her death, the haunting did not cease. Ten days after the execution, the ghost started to talk again. Contemporary observers noted that the disturbances continued, now attributed to a different spirit claiming to be another utburd, accusing other local women for murder. 

In retrospect, the Skålvoll case reveals how belief in the utburd functioned not merely as folklore, but as a socially operative force. The ghost shaped rumor, compelled confession, and helped transform communal anxiety into judicial action. Although the spirit itself was never formally recognized as evidence, its accusations framed the entire case.

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References:

Ei tjenestejente, to prester og ett spøkelse : en undersøkelse av trosforestillinger, rettspraksis og resepsjonshistorie i Nille-saken fra Steigen 1687–88 – Norwegian Research Information Repository

Nille Jensdatter – fylkesleksikon Nordland

Hun fikk ikke ro – Issuu

Ukategorisert

The Dullahan: Ireland’s Headless Horseman of Doom

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One of the deadly omens in Irish folklore, The Dullahan, or the Headless Horseman is said to bring certain death to those he calls by their name. 

Among Ireland’s most terrifying figures of folklore rides a creature that no door can bar. Without a head, the dark rider comes for people’s souls. 

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland

Known as The Dullahan, the Headless Horseman of Irish legend gallops through the night on a black steed, carrying his own head in one hand and a human spine as his whip. Wherever he rides, death is close behind, for the Dullahan appears only when a soul is about to be claimed.

The Rider Without a Head

The terrible legend of the Dúlachán or Dullahan is often referred to as the “Gan Ceann” or “Headless One.” Much like the legend of the Banshee, the Dullahan was said to be an omen of death, but unlike the Banshee, the headless horseman is often the one to collect the dead ones, often coming with the Death Coach, known as the Cóiste Bodhar. If you heard your name being called out, you were chosen, and if you looked back, you died. 

The Headless Horseman: The archetype of the Headless Horseman appears in folklore in Europe since the Middle Ages, although today, the most famous story today would probably be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, based on the German as well as the Irish version of the legend. Although a famous legend in Ireland, it is uncertain if it has Irish roots or came from other European countries.

Dullahan’s head, though severed from his body, is alive and ghastly pale, its skin said to resemble aged cheese and its grin stretching from ear to ear in many of its stories. The eyes dart about like restless fireflies, allowing him to see across great distances, even through walls and locked doors. 

His horse is just as fearsome, black as night and snorting sparks from its nostrils as it thunders across the countryside. His whip is said to be made from a human spine. When the Dullahan rides, the air grows thick, the night goes silent, and dogs whimper in terror as he leaves a trail of flame where he goes.

The Harbinger of Death

The Dullahan is not a spirit wandering aimlessly but a servant of death itself. He rides to summon the souls of the dying, calling out their name. Once the name is spoken, no one can escape their fate. Some legends say that when he stops riding, someone in that place will die. Others claim that if he approaches a house, blood will be spilled before dawn. His arrival is often heralded by the sound of hooves pounding on lonely roads, or the sight of a light flickering in the distance where none should be.

The Worship of Crom Dubh: Although it’s uncertain where the story of the Dullahan originates from, it could have ties with the Celtic fertility god, Crom Dubh, the ancient king of Ireland, Tiighermas sacrificed humans to every year. The custom stopped in the 6th century with Christianity taking over. This is also said to have been the base of many of the Samhain and later, Halloween customs of today.

One of the first written accounts of The Headless Horseman seems to come from an 1828 book Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker. Although there is also a 1802 text where the author, Charles Vallancey compares the Dullahan to an Arabian demon called Wulahan. But Croker’s collection of tales are certainly the most descriptive. He wrote: 

” ..such a head no mortal ever saw before. It looked like a large cream cheese hung round with black puddings: no speck of colour enlivened the ashy paleness of the depressed features; the skin lay stretched over the unearthly surface almost like the parchment head of a drum. Two fiery eyes of prodigious circumference, with a strange and irregular motion, flashed like meteors.”

No Escape, Only Warnings, Except for those with Gold

As fearsome and certain as death itself, not much was said to help against the headless horseman. Although there are stories about him being afraid of gold and that he would avoid places where the metal was. This is why many carried gold coins or left gold offerings to protect themselves from him. 

From Thomas Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (3rd ed., 1834)

There is a story about a man on his way home one night between Roundstone and Ballyconneely. It was just getting dark and, all of a sudden, he heard the sound of horse’s hooves pounding along the road behind him. Looking back, he saw The Dullahan on his charger, hurtling towards him at a fair speed. With a loud shout, he made to run, but the thing came on after him, gaining on him all the time. In truth, it would have overtaken him and carried him away had he not dropped a gold-headed pin from the folds of his shirt on the road behind him. There was a roar in the air above him and, when he looked again, The Dullahan was gone.

Although there are many claims of people that have seen the Dullahan, there are some of them that remain more etched in people’s memory. Here are some of the stories of the Dullahan where he operates alone without the Death Coach. 

The Man who Survived The Dullahan

Late one cold December night, Charley Culnane rode home from Fermoy with Christmas supplies and a bit too much whiskey warming his blood. Rain lashed against him as he followed the lonely road along the Blackwater, the darkness thick as tar. Near Kilcummer Hill, his cheerful song died in his throat. Drifting beside him in the gloom was the pale head of a horse, floating without a body or rider. Then, out of the shadows, a towering figure appeared on horseback, dressed in a tattered scarlet hunting coat. The rider had no head upon his shoulders. Instead, the grotesque thing was tucked under his arm, its eyes glowing faintly, its mouth twisted into a terrible grin that fixed itself upon Charley.

Terrified yet unwilling to show it, Charley rode on beside the spectral huntsman, even daring to exchange a few words. The ghost’s voice was deep and hollow, his tone strange but not unkind. Soon, the headless horseman challenged him to a race across the moonlit countryside. Charley accepted, and the two thundered across fields and ditches, the earth shaking beneath their hooves. When at last Charley pulled ahead, the spectre declared that he had waited a century for a rider brave enough to face him. With that, he faded into the mist, vanishing like breath on a cold windowpane. Charley swore the tale was true, though none believed him. Yet on St. Stephen’s Day, his mare outran every rival and he won his wager. Some said it was luck, others the hand of something far older, but Charley never again rode that dark road without glancing over his shoulder.

The Tale of the Good Woman

In the tale The Good Woman from Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, it also shows a version where the Headless Horseman hides in disguise of a woman.

A peasant named Larry Dodd from the shadow of the Galtee Mountains meets a cloaked woman on his way to the Kildorrery fair. Thinking her merely a traveler, he offers her a ride, but when he leans in to steal a kiss as payment, he discovers with horror that she is a Dullahan. The world goes black, and Larry awakens amid the ruins of an ancient church, surrounded by a ghastly sight: a great wheel of torture covered in severed heads and headless riders of both men and women, nobles and peasants alike. Offered a drink by his spectral hosts, he raises the cup to his lips, only for his head to be sliced clean off mid-sentence. When he awakes again, his head restored, the Dullahans have vanished into the night and his horse is gone with them.

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  • The Utburd of Skålvoll or the Nille-Case in Norway
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  • Most Haunted Places in Ireland
    Ghostly whispers in the old castle ruins, soldiers haunting the bloody battlefields and even the drums of pagan druids still lingering, Ireland is certainly a haunted country. This is only a small portion of the most haunted places in Ireland and the ghost stories behind them.
  • The Brown Clad Man Haunting Sande Old Vicarage
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  • El Dip: The Catalan Vampire Hound
    In the rural mountainside in Catalonia, Spain, there have long been talk about a vampiric beast of a hound that has tormented the livestock and the unfortunate person walking outside after dark. Could this legend be the one where other iberian vampire legends sprung from?
  • The Haunting of Caerphilly Castle – The Lady in Green and the Hag of Death
    A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.

References:

Dullahan – Wikipedia 

What Inspired ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’?

The History of the Dullahan in Irish Folklore – Doris V. Sutherland

Ukategorisert

Most Haunted Places in Dublin

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Have a look at some of the most haunted places in Dublin, from the mysteries of the Hellfire Club, churches where you can supposedly summon the devil and the dead lingering in the dusty libraries and colleges.

Ghosts of famed writers in dark pubs, still sipping their Guinness, secret societies in the mountains or the victims of the famine, wars, the most haunted places in Dublin range from the obvious old castles and battlefields to the more quaint streets and buildings. 

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland

Although far from a complete list, let’s have a look at some of the more famous ghost stories and places that are said to be particularly haunted in the capital of the Emerald Island. 

Hellfire Club | Dublin

Montpelier Hill: Here from the hunting lodge at Montpelier Hill in Dublin, were the Hellfire Club had meetings and many of the stories of dark rituals and the likes comes from. //Source: Joe King/Wikimedia

This mysterious ruin perched atop the Dublin Mountains has long been steeped in sinister legend. Built in 1725 as a hunting lodge for William Conolly, the site later became home to the Hellfire Club, a secret society of the rich and powerful said to dabble in the occult, black masses and unspeakable ceremonies. Among the most enduring tales is that the devil himself once appeared as a nobleman invited to play cards with the club’s members, revealing his cloven hooves when picked-up the fallen card from the floor.  Besides those chilling legends the site is associated with ghostly figures, animal sacrifices and the uneasy notion that the lodge was built on top of an ancient grave or standing-stone cairn disturbed by the construction.

Read the whole story: The Mysterious Legends of Hellfire Club on Montpelier Hill

Kilmainham Gaol | Dublin

Built in 1796 and closed in 1924, Kilmainham Gaol housed not only ordinary criminals but many of Ireland’s most famous revolutionaries during the fight for independence. During its restoration in the 1960s workers reported numerous paranormal events like lights switching themselves on, footsteps echoing on empty corridors, and even violent episodes of unseen forces pinning people to walls. 

Read the whole story: The Ghosts of Kilmainham Gaol

Dublin’s Haunted Bars

Roman Kharkovski/Wikimedia

Throughout Dublin City, the many pubs and bars come with centuries of stories, some of them ghost stories. From plotting revolutionaries to somber writers, these pubs and bars are said to be a place where some of the patrons have been lingering for a long time. You don’t have to choose between checking out haunted locations and sitting down for a pint in Dublin as the number of haunted pubs and bars around the city will take you around a haunted pub crawl around the streets of Dublin all night. 

Read the whole story: The Haunted Pub Crawl through Dublin

Glasnevin Cemetery | Finglas Road

Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland’s largest burial ground, spanning over 124 acres with more than 1.5 million burials, and is home to both the nation’s heroes and its restless dead. Among its most famous legends is that of a Newfoundland dog who refused to abandon his master, Captain John McNeill Boyd, after the sailor’s death in 1861. The loyal creature is said to have starved to death by his grave, and even now, witnesses claim to see his ghost wandering the pathways or hear the soft padding of phantom paws in the dark. There are also said to be ghosts from the cemetery venturing into the neighboring pub for a cold one. 

Read the whole story: Glasnevin Cemetery and the Faithful Ghost Dog still Waiting for his Master 

Trinity College Dublin | College Green

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s oldest university founded in 1592, is steeped in history and haunted lore that stretches across its centuries-old campus. The most famous ghost story is Edward Ford, a stern Fellow murdered by drunken students in 1734, whose ghost is said to still wander the Rubrics at dusk in his powdered wig and gown. Other spectral figures include physicist George Francis Fitzgerald, mathematician Thomas Meredith, and even Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, who searches eternally for a lost note among his library’s books. The college’s dark past with body snatchers also lingers, as the ghosts of dissected corpses are believed to haunt the School of Medicine, where their remains were once found buried beneath the earth. 

Read the whole story: Trinity College: The Ghostly Scholars Who Never Left 

Dublin Castle | Dame Street

Dublin Castle is said to be haunted by the headless ghosts of prisoners executed centuries ago after attempting to storm its walls. Built on the site of a Viking fortress and serving as the seat of British rule in Ireland for more than 700 years, the castle has witnessed betrayal, bloodshed, and rebellion. The restless spirits of those who met their fate within its grounds are believed to wander the Upper Yard, once the heart of the medieval stronghold. Visitors have reported eerie sensations of being watched, fleeting shadowy figures, and the sound of footsteps echoing through the empty halls. Legends also tell of a grieving woman mourning her lost lover and of strange happenings reported by guards in more recent times, including lights flickering and phantom noises in the night. 

Read the whole story: The Headless Ghosts Haunting Dublin Castle 

Iveagh House | 80-81 Saint Stephen’s Green

Iveagh House: Image/Jnestorius

Once home to the Guinness family and now the Department of Foreign Affairs, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a dying servant girl denied her last rites. According to legend, the young maid, a devout Catholic, begged for a priest as she lay dying, but her Protestant employers refused her plea. After her death, a glowing cross began to appear on her window every Holy Thursday, drawing crowds who prayed beneath it in awe. The mark was said to return even when the glass was scrubbed or replaced, as if the girl’s faith had imprinted itself upon the house forever. Some also link the haunting to Dermot O’Hurley, the Archbishop of Cashel, who was executed nearby in 1584. 

Read the whole story: Iveagh House: The Dying Servant and the Cross in the Window 

Connolly Station | Amiens Street

Image: Thomas Nugent

Connolly Station, one of Dublin’s busiest transport hubs, carries a darker history beneath its bustling platforms. Built in 1844, the station is said to be haunted by the spirit of a weary soldier who wanders the tracks, still waiting for a train that will never come. His apparition, seen by night guards and passengers alike, is linked by some to the tragic Dublin bombing of 1941, when four German bombs struck nearby, killing twenty-eight people. Even today, eerie reports persist of doors opening by themselves, ghostly footsteps echoing through empty halls, and spectral figures seen on security cameras. Other sightings include a Victorian woman near the stairs, a man in a grey suit on platform 5, and a mysterious woman in a sun hat haunting the bus area. 

Read the whole story: Connolly Station: The Soldier Who Waits for a Train That Never Comes 

The Ghost of Buck Jones | Jone’s Road, Drumcondra

The ghost of Buck Jones, Dublin’s infamous headless horseman, is said to haunt Jones’s Road, galloping through the night on a spectral white horse. Once Dublin’s respected City Sheriff, Frederick “Buck” Jones lived a life of privilege before his obsession with gambling led to financial ruin and disgrace. After years of downfall and imprisonment, he died destitute in 1834, cursing the men who betrayed him. Soon after, witnesses began reporting the thunder of ghostly hooves and the chilling sight of a headless rider racing toward Croke Park, clutching his severed head beneath one arm. 

Read the whole story: The Headless Ghost of Buck Jones: Dublin’s Restless Sheriff 

The Four Courts Marshalsea Debtors Prison | Thomas Street, The Liberties

Image: Elinor Wiltshire/1969

The ghost of Pat Doyle is said to haunt the site where Dublin’s Marshalsea Barracks once stood, a grim debtor’s prison in the Liberties where men and their families were confined for the sin of poverty. Desperate to escape, Doyle fell to his death one stormy night while attempting to flee across the roof. Ever since, witnesses have reported hearing footsteps along the vanished walls and seeing a flickering shadow pacing the spot where he fell. Though the prison was demolished in the 1970s, locals still claim that the air around its remains carries a strange chill and the uneasy feeling of being watched.

Read the whole story: The Ghost of Marshalsea Barracks: The Prison That Never Slept 

Croppie’s Acre | Wolfe Tone Quay

Croppies Acre: Overlooking the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. //Source: dronepicr/Wikimedia

Croppie’s Acre, a quiet green stretch beside the River Liffey near Kilmainham, is said to be one of Dublin’s most haunted places. Believed to be a mass grave for the rebels of the 1798 uprising, the field is thought to hold the restless spirits of the “Croppies” who were executed and buried without ceremony after their failed rebellion. Though no remains have ever been officially found, locals insist the ground itself feels uneasy, with tales of cold chills, shifting earth, and shadowy figures watching from the edges. 

Read the whole story: The Haunted Fields of Croppie’s Acre: Dublin’s Restless Rebellion Ground

Number 7 and 8 in Hendricks Street | Smithfield

Once known as Dublin’s most haunted street, Hendrick Street in Smithfield carried a chilling reputation for generations even after the houses were demolished from the 1950s. The adjoining houses at numbers 7 and 8 were said to be home to at least six restless spirits that tormented tenants for decades. Strange knocks, footsteps, and icy drafts plagued those who dared to live there, and many fled after nights of terror. One haunting told of a woman’s ghost pacing the stairs until dawn, while another spoke of a bitter husband’s spirit that lingered by the fireplace to torment his widow. 

Read the whole story: The Haunting of Hendrick Street: Dublin’s Most Cursed Corner

The Black Church | St Mary’s Place, Broadstone

In Dublin 7, the dark stone walls of St Mary’s Chapel of Ease, better known as The Black Church, have long inspired fear and fascination. Built in 1830 from black calp limestone, the church’s ominous appearance gave rise to a legend that the devil himself can be summoned there. Locals say there are three rituals to call him forth: running around the church three times at midnight, circling it backward thirteen times, or reciting the Our Father in reverse at its door. Though it was deconsecrated in the 1960s and now serves as offices, eerie stories persist of cold drafts, flickering lights, and the feeling of unseen eyes watching. 

Read the whole story: The Black Church: Where the Devil Waits in Dublin 

The Ghost of Darkey Kelly | The Green Lady of the Liberties

In the heart of Dublin’s Liberties, the ghost of Darkey Kelly, known as The Green Lady, is said to haunt the 40 steps leading to St. Audoen’s Church. Once an 18th-century innkeeper and madam of the Maiden Tower brothel, Darkey Kelly became entangled with the Hellfire Club and its notorious member, Sheriff Simon Luttrell. Accused of witchcraft and murder after a bitter dispute, she was publicly burned at the stake in 1761. Her execution, one of Dublin’s most brutal, sparked centuries of rumor and legend of her hiding corpses beneath her brothel to tales of dark pacts and vengeance from beyond the grave. To this day, on misty nights, people report seeing her glowing green apparition gliding near St. Audoen’s.

Read the whole story: Darkey Kelly: The Green Lady of the Liberties 

The Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks | Benburb Street

Once the Royal Barracks and now home to the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks in Dublin still echoes with its centuries of military history. Guards and visitors have reported the tread of unseen boots, the ring of distant gunfire, and ghostly figures in Napoleonic uniforms marching across the courtyards. The most famous spirit is that of a First World War Quartermaster who still patrols the east wing, while an old army tale from 1925 tells of ghostly British troops departing for “Blighty” after death. Some even claim to hear a woman’s mournful singing, believed to be the spirit of a young guest allegedly murdered by officers centuries ago. 

Read the whole story: The Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks

St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Restless Spirit of Jonathan Swift

Within the towering walls of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, whispers of the past still linger. Jonathan Swift, the famed author of Gulliver’s Travels and former Dean of the Cathedral, is believed to haunt the sacred halls he once presided over. Buried beside his beloved Stella, Swift’s peace was shattered when his remains were exhumed in the 1800s for scientific study. Since then, visitors and clergy have spoken of cold drafts, ghostly footsteps, and a tall shadow in clerical robes that drifts through the nave before vanishing into the dim light. Some believe the spirit still guards the cathedral, while others think he wanders between St. Patrick’s and Marsh’s Library, visiting Stella’s skull kept there after the dissection. 

Read the whole story: St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Restless Spirit of Jonathan Swift and The Haunting in Marsh’s Library in Dublin

The Haunted Shelbourne Hotel and the Ghost of Mary Masters

Shelbourne Hotel: Joseph Mischyshyn / Dublin – Shellbourne Hotel / CC BY-SA 2.0

For nearly two hundred years, this elegant landmark has welcomed kings, poets, and presidents, but one guest has never checked out, said to be Mary Masters, a little girl said to have died of cholera long before the hotel’s construction. The haunting became legend in 1965 when famed paranormal investigator Hans Holzer and psychic Sybil Leek conducted a séance in Room 526. Leek claimed to contact the spirit of a frightened seven-year-old girl who said she had lived and died on the site in the 18th century, searching still for her mother and sister. Since then, countless visitors have reported strange happenings like taps turning on by themselves, soft footsteps, whispers in the dark, and the feeling of a child climbing into bed beside them. 

Read the whole story: The Haunted Shelbourne Hotel and the Ghost of Mary Masters

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Ukategorisert

The Utburd of Erstad: A Ghost That Led to the Court and Punishment

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After strange knocking and poltergeist activity made the people at Erstad Farm believe it was haunted. And when they asked the ghost what it wanted, it unraveled the lives of more than one person forever. 

In Norwegian folklore, the utburd is among the most feared spirits and would linger in people’s minds and legends for centuries. It is the ghost of a child killed at birth and hidden away, denied both life and burial that comes back to claim its name or call out its parents. . 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Norway

Most utburd stories belong to legend and fairytales, but one case from Alversund in 1711 grew so serious that it ended up before the local court. What began as a terrifying haunting became a legal scandal that exposed fear, superstition, and human deception.

The Utburd in Alversund: The Inner Shipping Lane from Alversund Bridge where a case of a ghost haunting a farm reached court. // Source: Odd Roar Aalborg

A Haunting Begins at Erstad Farm

In the autumn of 1711, strange events struck the farm of Siri and Anders Erstad in Alversund, a small place on the west coast of Norway. At first, the disturbances were subtle. There were knocks in the walls and strange sounds around the chimney. Soon the activity escalated. Household objects were torn down, tables overturned, and chaos filled the rooms.

Terrified, Siri and Anders fled to the neighboring farm, seeking refuge with Zidselle and Baste Erstad. Their relief was short-lived as the disturbances seemed to be following them. The unseen presence now seemed intelligent. It responded to questions and made its will known.

First they believed that the ghost had to be because of the house and that it was built upon an old burial ground. On 17 October 1711, the entity finally spoke clearly. It claimed to be an utburd.

The Ghost of an Utburd Makes Accusations

The ghost revealed a detailed and horrifying story. It named its parents as Ole Knudsen Øvre Tveiten and Sygni Monsdatter Vatne. According to the spirit, Sygni had given birth to a daughter in Anders Erstad’s barn around 15 years ago, strangled the child, and hidden the body in a food storage shed.

Utburd: The word utburd comes from Old Norse útburðr, meaning “that which is taken outside.” In traditional rural Norway, this term referred to a child who had been abandoned or left to die in the wild because the family could not care for it or because it was born out of wedlock, a deep social stigma at the time. In the old folk imagination, these children did not pass peacefully into the afterlife. Many were left unbaptized and were buried outside consecrated ground. Because they never received Christian rites, their souls were believed unable to enter heaven or find peace. Instead, they became something darker: a ghost driven by need and grievance.

Sygni, who was then working as a servant at Sletta on Radøy, an island right by, was summoned and confronted with these accusations. She was known to have lived a rather loose life, as she earlier had needed to do a public confession in church for this. There was also gossip among the locals that she had admitted to having taken the life of a child. During the interrogation, witnesses claimed that the haunting intensified. The table reportedly flew around the room, and Sygni’s cap was torn from her head and that the ghost would tear her apart. Overwhelmed by fear, she eventually confessed.

Anders and Baste searched the farm and claimed to find bones beneath the floor of a food shed. They had at the start started digging for bones beneath their floorboards, convinced it had to be graves underneath their house. The wife remembered that she once had experienced something tugging her skirt in the food shed, so they started to dig there. Believing they had discovered the remains of the murdered child, they buried the bones in consecrated ground at Alversund churchyard.

Doubt sets in in Alversund

Despite this burial, the haunting did not stop. The disturbances continued as before. Confused and frightened, Anders and Baste took the matter to the local court at Frekhaug. The authorities ordered them to exhume the bones and hand them over to the chaplain.

The result was unexpected. The bones did not belong to a human being at all, but some sort of animal. 11 bones, although the spine and skull was missing, there had never been one. 

Still, the case was not closed. On 21 October 1711, Parish Priest Erich Møinichen arrived at Erstad with an entourage to investigate personally. That very evening, the ghost made itself known once more. Møinichen questioned it directly. The spirit claimed it had been with God since its death, yet when asked the name of God’s son, it could not answer.

Møinichen began to suspect human involvement. Attention turned to Steffen Pedersen Rydland, a farmhand and perhaps not the brightest and most likely to not be able to answer serious questions. He was between 15-18 years. He was taken to the rectory, where he confessed. The haunting had been staged and Steffen admitted that he had created the disturbances on behalf of Sygni Vatne. She had promised him a pair of knitted stockings if he frightened the household enough to secure her return to Erstad. The ghostly knocks, flying furniture, and eerie voices were the result of trickery, not the supernatural.

Why he would go to these lengths for a pair of stockings is perhaps just as difficult to believe that there was a ghost of a baby haunting the farm. And just how staging a haunting would get Sygne’s position back is also just as mystifying. There are also testimonies that Steffen had met Sygni in midsummer that year, and that she really wanted to marry Anders, but he didn’t want her. So as vengeance, she wanted to put together a haunting to scare them. 

The Case of a Ghost at the Ting

The matter was finally brought before the court at Bruknapp on 17 February 1713 and the scandal only got worse. Under questioning, the 53-year-old Sygni Vatne admitted to having had a sexual relationship with Ole Øvre Tveiten ten years earlier, but she denied ever giving birth to a child. She explained that her earlier confession had been made out of terror caused by the supposed ghost.

Ole Øvre Tveiten admitted to having relations with Sygni two years before the great fire of Bergen in 1702 (a local way of calculating time then). Further investigation revealed a deeper scandal. Sygni had previously had a child with Ole’s son, which meant that her later relationship with Ole constituted incest and was guilty in blood shame, a crime punishable by death at the time.

Because there was no physical evidence, the court showed leniency for this part though. Sygni Vatne was sentenced to forced labor in the fishing communities of northern Norway. Ole Øvre Tveiten was sent to forced labor at the copper mines in Årdal.

Anders and Baste Erstad were each fined three riksdaler for their “simplicity” and superstition in burying unknown bones in consecrated ground. Steffen Rydland was excused on account of youthful foolishness and ignorance and received only a round of beating or spanking as punishment.

But did Sygni really kill the baby? Who was telling the truth? Was she simply confessing to a “lesser” crime to cover up for the unforgivable one? 

The utburd of Erstad is a striking example of how belief in ghosts once shaped reality, and how a made up story of a ghost could give real life consequences and seal people’s fate forever. 

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References:

Utburd – Wikipedia

Spøkelset på Erstad

Ei tjenestejente, to prester og ett spøkelse : en undersøkelse av trosforestillinger, rettspraksis og resepsjonshistorie i Nille-saken fra Steigen 1687–88 – Norwegian Research Information Repository

Ukategorisert

The Legend of the Witches of Llers Castle and the Vampire, Conde Estruch of Catalonia

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Was there an iberian vampire before the European vampire panic in Eastern Europe? Who was really Conde Estruch, the vampire of Catalonia, and what happened to the witches of Llers Castle the count was said to use as his lair. 

In the dark hills of Catalonia, where forests cling to ancient stone and the cold Tramuntana del Canigó wind sings, stories about witches and vampires haunt the old ruins still standing. Like the supposed haunted ruins of Llers Castle, located in the highest part of the town of the same name, in the province of Girona close to the French border.

Read More: Check out all ghostly stories from Spain

Unlike many modern portrayals of the vampire, the legend of Conde Estruch is as mysterious as its origins. Is it an old remnant from Catalan lore, or is it actually a modern invention built on old fears?

The Noble Origin of Conde Estruch

Imaginary portrait of King Alfonso II of Aragon (1157-1196)

Let’s go back to what most outlets, articles and books tell us today about the mysterious and deadly vampire Conde Estruch. According to Catalan mythology, Conde Estruch was once a nobleman of high standing. The count is sometimes known as Arnald, Guifred or Wilfred Estruch and lived in the 12th century under King Alfons II of Aragon. 

The king sent the elderly count on a mission to Llers Castle, located in the Empordà region of Catalonia, to fight against paganism and witchcraft. He was killed during the mission to convert the locals at the castle in 1173. Some say it was by witchcraft, cursing him to come back as something monstrous. Some say that it was because of his own sins and way of life he didn’t die peacefully, but was turned into something demonic, something vampiric. 

Soon after his burial, the villagers began to notice eerie signs. Livestock were found drained of blood without trace of injury. Crops failed in one field while others thrived. According to legend, the count, now returned as a young man, attacked the villagers, sucking their blood dry. He also seduced and impregnated women who gave birth to monstrous stillborns.

This went on for years. There are several theories about what finally stopped him. Some say that an elderly nun slayed him. Others say it was a Jewish hermit who used ancient rituals from the Kabbalah. 

The Truth Behind the Myth

How much of this old legend from Catalonia is true though? Did such a count exist in history? Did it even exist in old legends? There is talk about sources from the archives of Ripoll, but what exactly are these sources? According to author Salvador Sáinz who published his first book about the vampiric nobleman in 1991. There are those claiming that others have alluded to a vampiric being in this place before, like documents about the Jewish hermit who stopped the vampire, dating as far back as 1918. But after the loss of documents after the damages caused by the Civil War, it’s hard to say what’s true anymore.  But when the local historian, Antoni Egea Codina went to search for evidence in the 90s, he found nothing. 

As the author himself said in a blog comment: “I approach the novel as a fantasy story and I don’t intend to make anyone believe that Estruch existed. There was a legend that in the books was only four lines, no more, and I gave it an identity.” Source

He also wrote on his blog: I looked for a story set in our homeland and came across the legend of a certain Estruc. Reimagined as Count Estruch, a character of my own invention. Source

Some variant accounts, such as in popular Spanish media, place his activities in the early 13th century and depict him participating in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa on July 16, 1212, serving as a knight in the Christian forces led by King Peter II of Aragon against the Almohad Caliphate. A variant of the legend, which took place in 1173, claims that Estruch was poisoned by his own captain, Benach.

The surname Estruch is of Catalan origin, derived from the Latin personal name “Astrucus”. It appears in medieval records but without clear ethnic specificity. It is however a common name among the medieval jews in the area, but no lord or other person is connected to this story as of yet. 

In Occitania at that time, the Cathar heresy was deeply entrenched and stories about devils, witches and other monsters lurking. The story of the count does remind about another catalan tale though, that of the evil Count Arnau, who ended thanks to a nun. 

Read More: The Ghost of Comte Arnau on his Fiery Horse

Was the vampire tale actually a creation of fiction from one man rather than old lore from the community?

The Legend of Castle Llers

What about the castle, if the count wasn’t real, what about the lore of the castle? The castle is real and was from the 11th century with documentations from 1021. And when the supposed vampire and witch hunt happened, it coincided with a long line of Lords of Llers in more peaceful times than the legend suggests. 

Castle Llers: Its border location during the Middle Ages made the municipality of Llers the most fortified area of ​​the Empordà region , and one of the richest areas in Catalonia. The town had a barony castle from which eleven others depended. // Image: Albert Sarola Juanola

This castle was seriously damaged, first by the explosion of the powder magazine, caused by a spark from a smoker, and then in two bloody battles: the War of the Spanish Succession (1705-1716) and the Great War (1790-1795).

The worst disaster came with the Civil War. On February 8, 1938, Republican troops were retreating towards the border when they detonated 200 kilos of TNT stored in the church to prevent the ammunition to be used. The explosion had devastating effects, completely destroying the town. The force of the blast was such that only a large crater remained where the church had stood. Fortunately, the residents were warned, preventing a massacre, although the mayor perished. 

The locals have recalled witch myths to the castle, but according to them, no one was talking about vampires until the books were published in 1991. It is currently being restored by the City Council and tourism is clearly using the vampiric legend that has grown around it.

The Witches of In Llers

But what about the witches of Llers, the legend said to have been around for centuries? Les Garrigues, the area between Llers and Avinyonet de Puigventós, is the setting for many tales of witches. During the 16th and 17th centuries, witch hunts in this area were intense, with trials and executions that left an indelible mark on popular culture. 

It is a place where the Tramuntana del Canigó blows with great force in this place as there are no mountains shielding the town. As fast as 100 km per hour the wind can travel.  When the cold and harsh Tramuntana wind blows, you can hear whispering about the witches who lived and live in those lands.

The sharp whistle of the wind, according to popular beliefs, was caused by the fury of these women. Legend says that the witches of Llers, when angered, caused numerous disasters and hailstorms throughout the Empordà plain that could destroy the crops. When the hailstorm was caused by a witch, it was believed that she would leave a strand of hair behind every stone.

It was said that only the sound of the Figueres bell tower could quell such damage and a special bell ringing would block their path in the sky. The witches, unwilling to be defeated by the ringing of the bell tower, gathered together with the intention of bringing it down one New Years Eve. The bell ringer, sensing something was amiss, climbed the tower to check that everything was in order. When he reached the top, he saw a swarm of witches riding their broomsticks toward him. He then began to ring the bells incessantly; the noise and the battle were terrible, but in the end, the bell ringer managed to defeat the witches. But their attack created a fissure that would remain until the Civil War when the tower came down. 

The Witches of Llers: Les bruixes de Llers is a collection of poems published in 1924 by Carles Fages de Climent , with illustrations by Salvador Dalí and a prologue by Ventura Gassol. It was Fages’ first book of poems and the first book illustrated by Dalí.

According to some authors, like Joan Guillament in the 1976 book Bruixeria a Catalunya, there were rumours about witches into the late 1800s. One particular incident happened to a 72 year old woman who died in 1878, thought to be a witch by the villagers, causing problems for her four daughters and their reputation. 

Spanish Vampirism

So was it all just a figment of certain people’s imagination, or was the iberian vampire actually a collective idea and fear? It seems as with most cultures, the Spanish people have their tales of vampiric beings. 

In Asturia they have Guaxa. In Cantabrian they have Guajona, a blood-sucking hag from nearby Cantabrian folklore known for preying on sleeping victims without killing them. Whether to treat the two as the same entity with different names is uncertain. 

Read More: Guajona: The Blood-Thirsty Entity of Iberian Folklore and A Cautionary Tale of the Vampiric Guaxa from Asturia

Another Catalan “legend” is that of the Dips, a name given to a type of vampire dog that supposedly existed in meadows located a few kilometers south of Reus. It is even claimed that for this reason there is a town called Pratdip. 

Read More: El Dip: The Catalan Vampire Hound

A Pale Shadow in the Hills

Today the legend of Conde Estruch survives mostly in books and in the debate online if he was or wasn’t a real figure. The castle was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War and the historical documents about the legend are still not found. However, it seems like the legend has just started to take root. Several sites serve the story as an old legend rather than a modern fiction story. The legend of the catalonian vampire, it seems, is expanding. 

Llers celebrates its connection to these stories through the Fes-te Bruixa fair. In the wild hills of Catalonia, where mists rise at dusk and shadows gather where the path is lost, the story of witches and blood sucking monsters continues to be told. 

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References:

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conde_Estruch

El pare reusenc del primer vampir català

https://www.historiesdeuropa.cat/2016/12/el-primer-vampir-europeu-era-catala

https://www.castillosnet.org//monumento.php?r=GE-CAS-148&seo=

descubriendo ciudades…: Templarios en Catalunya: de Llers pasando por el Empordà

Llers – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

HISTORIA – Cultura, historia y patrimonio de Llers (Alt Empordà, Girona)

El conde Estruch

Javier Coria: EL CONDE ESTRUCH: ¿EL VAMPIRO CATALÁN?

El conde Estruch. – REALIDAD TRASCENDENTAL

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The Haunted Pub Crawl through Dublin

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Join a haunted pub crawl through Dublin’s ancient streets for ghosts and a pint of Guinness. From plotting revolutionaries to somber writers, these pubs and bars are said to be a place where some of the patrons have been lingering for a long time. 

You don’t have to choose between checking out haunted locations and sitting down for a pint in Dublin as the number of haunted pubs and bars around the city will take you around a haunted pub crawl around the streets of Dublin all night. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland

For those wanting a printable map and info brochure, you can head over to our webshop for purchase together with other sober versions of haunted city tours. But this one is for the booze and ghost lovers, and here is a list of a mere fraction of the haunted places for ghosts and pints. 

John Kavanagh’s The Gravediggers | 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin

Source

Next to the haunted Glasnevin Cemetery you will find John Kavanagh’s, better known as The Gravediggers, a pub where the living and the dead are said to share a quiet pint. Founded in 1833, this old family-run tavern once served the weary cemetery workers who would signal their arrival by tossing a shovelful of earth against the wall, a ritual that, according to legend, can still be heard on still nights. The pub’s most famous ghost is that of an elderly man in a tweed suit who sits silently with his drink before vanishing through the wall.

Read the whole story: John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’: A Pint with the Dead 

The Brazen Head | 20 Bridge St. Lower, Usher’s Quay

Roman Kharkovski/Wikimedia

Often hailed as Dublin’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head carries with it centuries of rebellion, revelry, and restless spirits. Most famously, it is said to be haunted by the ghost of Irish rebel Robert Emmet, who plotted his ill-fated uprising against British rule in 1803. After his execution and beheading on nearby Thomas Street, legend tells that his spirit returned to his beloved pub, unable to find peace. 

Read the whole story: The Brazen Head: Dublin’s Oldest Pub and Its Restless Rebel 

The Portobello Bar | 33 Richmond Street, Saint Kevin’s

The Portobello Bar, standing beside Dublin’s Grand Canal, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a lock keeper whose tragic mistake cost innocent lives. The lock keeper’s story dates back to the 19th century, when he accidentally caused a carriage to sink while crossing the canal. Consumed by guilt and disgrace, he met his own mysterious death by the water’s edge. To this day, locals claim his restless spirit lingers near the lock, appearing as a dark figure on misty nights. 

Read the whole story: The Portobello Bar: Spirits on the Canal 

Davy Byrne’s | 21 Duke St, Dublin

Source

One of Dublin’s most famous literary landmarks, patrons say the ghost of James Joyce still lingers in the mirrors of his favorite haunt. Open since 1889, the pub was once a meeting place for revolutionaries like Michael Collins, but it was Joyce who made it immortal through Ulysses, where Leopold Bloom famously ordered his gorgonzola sandwich and burgundy. Over a century later, visitors claim to glimpse Joyce’s reflection moving on its own or hear the faint scratch of a pen in the quiet corners of the bar. 

Read the whole story: Davy Byrne’s Pub: The Ghost of James Joyce Still Raising a Glass

Darkey Kelly | 19 Fishamble St, Christchurch

The pub Darkey Kelly is named after a ghostly legend of one of Irelands most notorious killer and rumoured witch that is haunting the neighborhood. In the Dublin’s Liberties, the ghost of Darkey Kelly, known as The Green Lady, is said to haunt the 40 steps leading to St. Audoen’s Church. Once an 18th-century innkeeper and madam of the Maiden Tower brothel, Darkey Kelly became entangled with the Hellfire Club and its notorious member, Sheriff Simon Luttrell. Accused of witchcraft and murder after a bitter dispute, she was publicly burned at the stake in 1761. Her execution, one of Dublin’s most brutal, sparked centuries of rumor and legend, from hidden corpses beneath her brothel to tales of dark pacts and vengeance from beyond the grave. And the bar bearing her name is said to hold her haunting as well. 

Read the whole story: Darkey Kelly: The Green Lady of the Liberties 

Bull and Castle Pub | 5-7 Lord Edward Street, Christchurch

Source

At the corner of Lord Edward Street, across from Christ Church Cathedral, is the Bull and Castle Pub, a lively haunt with a darker secret. Beneath its laughter and the clink of glasses lingers the ghost of James Clarence Mangan, one of Ireland’s most tragic poets. Born on this very site in 1803, Mangan lived a life shadowed by despair and brilliance. Known for his strange attire, his green spectacles, and his haunting verse, he was both admired and pitied by the likes of Yeats and Joyce. Those who visit say the poet has never truly left. When the music fades and the night deepens, a chill often sweeps through the pub, dimming the lights and stilling conversation. 

Read the whole story: Bull and Castle Pub: The Melancholy Ghost of James Clarence Mangan

Brogans Bar | 75 Dame Street, Temple Bar

Once known as Leonards, this centuries-old pub has welcomed revolutionaries, writers, and wanderers alike, including Michael Collins himself. Some blame the ghosts of Dublin Castle across the street, while others whisper of a sealed tunnel beneath the bar, said to once lead directly to the castle’s gates. Though the passage may be hidden according to rumours, strange voices and cold drafts still rise from the cellar.

Read the whole story: Brogans Bar: The Secret Passage to the Past 

The Lord Edward Pub | 23 Christchurch, Wood Quay

Across from St. Werburgh’s Church, where the famed patriot Lord Edward Fitzgerald is buried, stands the Lord Edward Pub, a place steeped in both history and haunting. The pub, dating back to 1890, carries the name of the Irish rebel who fought and died for his country’s freedom during the doomed 1798 Rebellion. Locals say his spirit never left the area. Patrons have reported sudden chills, flickering lights, and fleeting reflections of a man in military dress lingering in the mirrors behind the bar. 

Read the whole story: The Lord Edward Pub: The Rebel’s Restless Spirit

Doyle’s Pub | 9 College Street, Dublin

Source

At the corner of Phibsborough where the North Circular Road meets Doyle’s Corner stands the Victorian Doyle’s Pub. Once called The Arthur Conan Doyle, the pub was built with stones from nearby Saint Peter’s Church and holds a chilling secret beneath its cellar. Frequented in its day by Brendan Behan and the infamous hangman Albert Pierrepoint, Doyle’s was also a neighbor to Lanigan’s Funeral Home. Patrons have long reported ghostly footsteps, shattered glasses, and the apparition of a pale figure on the stairs. Some say it is a spirit from the funeral home, others believe it’s one of Pierrepoint’s victims from Mountjoy Prison, still searching for their executioner.

Read the whole story: Doyle’s Pub: The Hangman’s Shadow in Phibsborough 

John Mulligan’s Pub | 8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin

In Dublin’s literary quarter, John Mulligan’s Pub on Poolbeg Street is known for more than its pints and prose. Since opening in 1854, the beloved Victorian tavern has drawn in journalists, actors, and writers, including James Joyce, who immortalized it in his story Counterparts. Staff have long spoken of bottles flying from shelves, doors slamming on their own, and phantom footsteps echoing above the cellar. Some claim to have seen the ghost of a man perched on a beer barrel, his gaze fixed on nothing, as though lost in thought from another time. 

Read the whole story: John Mulligans and the Pub Ghost on Poolbeg Street 

Madigan’s Bar | Connelly Station Amien Street (Closed for now)

Just steps from the ghostly corridors of Connolly Station was Madigan’s Bar, a place where travellers paused for a drink before their journey and where some never seem to leave. Staff have told of strange happenings when the last trains have departed and the station falls silent. Glasses rattle behind the bar without cause. Cold drafts sweep across the floor, even when the doors are firmly closed.  In 2011, the Irish Ghost Hunters carried out an investigation at Connolly Station and Madigan’s Bar after countless reports of paranormal activity. The pub has earned its own haunted reputation over the years, although it is unclear if it is the same haunting as the station, or something else. This bar however, is said to have closed down, so who knows what will pop up in its place. Will it be as haunted?

Read the whole story: Connolly Station: The Soldier Who Waits for a Train That Never Comes 

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Ukategorisert

The Utburd of Børholmen and Erika Larsdatter Bogen: A Haunting and Scam That Reached the Courtroom

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In 1852, the alleged psychic Erika Larsdatter Bogen, arrived at Børholmen, a small island in western Norway. She claimed that she had found the ghost and corpse of the dead child, and she named the mother who allegedly buried it. But what was the truth?

In Norwegian folklore, few spirits are as disturbing as the utburd, the ghost of an unwanted child left to die and denied a proper burial. These beings were said to cry, whisper, and wander restlessly, demanding justice or release. Sometimes in these stories, they would come back and accuse their parents for murder. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Norway

Most utburd stories belong to legend and oral tradition, but one case from western Norway in the mid-1800s went far beyond fireside storytelling. It ended not with prayers or exorcism, but in a courtroom.

Børholmen: Børholmen lies right out to sea just south of the entrance to the Sognefjord. The islet lies between Kversøy to the west and Grima and Lomannsøy to the east. Despite its close contact with the North Sea, the islet is sheltered from most winds and is sheltered from the sea swells. On the east side of Børholmen we find the old trading and inn. Børholmen was not registered until 1838, but had been a trading and innkeeper’s town since the late 17th century. Here they received fish that was put into barrels and sent on to Bergen.

Crying of an Utburd Beneath the Floor

In 1852, people living on Børholmen in Eivindvik on the windy west coast, reported something deeply unsettling at the small island with less than 20 living there. At night, they claimed to hear crying and faint whining sounds coming from beneath the floor of the living room. The noises were described as those of a child, soft yet persistent, impossible to ignore. In a society where belief in spirits was still widespread, the explanation came quickly. Many believed the sounds were caused by an utburd that had returned to lament its fate. But what was the truth behind the rumours, and exactly who were they who claimed to hear it?

Utburd: The word utburd comes from Old Norse útburðr, meaning “that which is taken outside.” In traditional rural Norway, this term referred to a child who had been abandoned or left to die in the wild because the family could not care for it or because it was born out of wedlock, a deep social stigma at the time. In the old folk imagination, these children did not pass peacefully into the afterlife. Many were left unbaptized and were buried outside consecrated ground. Because they never received Christian rites, their souls were believed unable to enter heaven or find peace. Instead, they became something darker: a ghost driven by need and grievance.

Into this tense situation stepped Erika Larsdatter Bogen, a young woman from Lindås, an island not too far from Børholmen, who was known locally for claiming clairvoyant abilities. Born in 1828, she was only in her early twenties when she announced that she could communicate with the spirit beneath the floor.

She was described by the priest responsible for her confirmation as poor and the youngest of six siblings from a farm. She was also said to have been vain, and would always have a mirror she could check herself with and not interested in the words of God at all. After her confirmation she was sent out to work, but by Christmas 1951, she was back with her parents with too many people to feed. This is when her alleged gift revealed itself. 

She claimed to have started hearing knocking sounds in the walls of her parents room and passed out and claimed that an angel had visited her and given her the gift of sight. She fell ill and had to stay in bed for weeks.

A Ghost Names its Parents as Killers

After she had come to herself, she started to travel around with her gifts as far as Bergen. People wanted to talk to her about her abilities. She never asked for payment during her travels, but never refused when it was offered. She wasn’t met without controversies, although she became popular. A priest said about her so-called angel who told her about stuff:

“If something supernatural revealed itself to her, it is no good angel, but either Satan, the lord of darkness himself or some of his angels.” – Priest Holtermann

This is how she ended up at Børholmen. She had tired the locals on Lindås, and she moved to Eivindvik, where she was given housing at the vicarage. When she arrived she looked tired and her clothing was torn. Her grand tour of being psychic hadn’t been too lucrative.  

Strange things started to happen over the next months, but only when Erika was present and this happened when she moved into the house of Peder Jakobssønn at Børholmen who wanted to have her around to talk about ghosts and angels she claimed she got the information from.. 

The Inn: After the inn and trade ended, the people on Børholmen became fishermen and small farmers. Agriculture was more or less shut down in the 1950s. Up until today – March 2001, there have been people who have made a living from fishing. Now five people live here.

According to Erika, the crying came from an utburd that revealed not only its suffering, but also its identity. The spirit allegedly named its parents as Kristine Kværnøen and Knut Stevnebø, accusing them of having killed the child and buried it in secret. Kristine was a 30 year old woman who had given her clothing and kindness when Erika first arrived. Knut was a man Erika knew from Bergen, and she claimed that Kristine had gone there five years ago and gotten pregnant. Kristine and Knut had served at a house together six years ago. 

Erika further claimed that the ghost told her exactly where its remains could be found. The Utburd didn’t say if it was stillborn or killed at birth. It was also claimed that Kristina was after Peder Jakobsønn’s 18 year old son, Knut, whom she had seen talking in church at times. Erika claimed that she wanted to protect Knut from Kristine’s clutches.

She reportedly dug at the indicated spot and produced a piece of cloth containing two bones. If her story had been true, it could have led to a serious criminal case for infanticide, one of the most feared and morally charged crimes of the time. Rumors spread quickly, and suspicion fell heavily on the accused parents as well as Erika.

Doubt and Investigation of Erika Larsdatter Bogen

However, not everyone was convinced and Kristine took the accusations with surprisingly calmness. But when Erika didn’t want to back down with the haunting and claims that Kristine’s Utburd ghost was haunting the area, she reported Erika to the police. Erika didn’t show up at her hearing and an officer was sent out to investigate this strange case. 

The cloth Erika presented appeared with the bones appeared new, not five years old and buried, and the bones did not seem to belong to a newborn child. These inconsistencies raised serious doubts about the entire story more so than the question of the ghost did.

During Erika’s interrogation, events took an even stranger turn. A thin, piping voice suddenly interrupted the questioning, seemingly defending Erika. Some present believed this to be the voice of the ghost itself. The sheriff could not be certain where the sound came from, but he noticed something telling. Each time the voice was heard, Erika moved her head from side to side, and just before the sound appeared, she brought her fingers to the corners of her mouth.

From these observations, the sheriff reached a conclusion. Erika was not speaking with a ghost. She was practicing ventriloquism and was a fraud.

From Haunting to Fraud

The case shifted dramatically. What began as a terrifying ghost story became an accusation of deliberate deception. The authorities concluded that Erika Bogen had fabricated the entire haunting and had falsely accused two innocent people of a crime that could have destroyed their lives.

The county governor, Amtmann Landmark of Nordre Bergenhus, ordered that Erika be prosecuted. She initially avoided trial by claiming to be too weak and frail to appear in court. During this period, she married Knut Børholmen, the man who she had tried to keep away from Kristine, and the couple moved to Bergen, where they opened a small business and attempted to start anew.

On 31 May 1854, Erika was finally brought to justice as she couldn’t keep a low profile and again started to claim she could talk with ghosts, starting a ruckus in a house in Bergen as well. The district court in Ytre Sogn sentenced her to seven months of hard labor. She appealed the verdict, but the case reached the Supreme Court, which took an even harsher view. The court ruled that her serious and unfounded accusations against Kristine Kværnøen warranted no less than one year of hard labor, along with legal costs. The prosecution was led by Bernhard Dunker, a prominent legal figure of the time.

Apparently, Knut had sent her a letter, saying that he bore Erika no warm feelings. Many speculate though that Knut was one of her helpers with the haunting. Still, when Erika was imprisoned, she was pregnant with her own child, a daughter that Knut came to pick up after she gave birth in prison. And according to records, it looks like they had seven children in total. Locally, she has been remembered as Rikke Bokken.

And a case of accusing someone of burying children, ended up with her having some of her own. 

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  • The Utburd of Skålvoll or the Nille-Case in Norway
    In 1687, the ghost of a murdered child started to testify against its mother in northern Norway and people took it seriously. Today, the Utburd of Skåvoll or the Nille-case is remembered as the ghost story that condemned a woman to her death.
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    One of the deadly omens in Irish folklore, The Dullahan, or the Headless Horseman is said to bring certain death to those he calls by their name.
  • Most Haunted Places in Dublin
    Have a look at some of the most haunted places in Dublin, from the mysteries of the Hellfire Club, churches where you can supposedly summon the devil and the dead lingering in the dusty libraries and colleges.
  • The Utburd of Erstad: A Ghost That Led to the Court and Punishment
    After strange knocking and poltergeist activity made the people at Erstad Farm believe it was haunted. And when they asked the ghost what it wanted, it unraveled the lives of more than one person forever.
  • The Legend of the Witches of Llers Castle and the Vampire, Conde Estruch of Catalonia
    Was there an iberian vampire before the European vampire panic in Eastern Europe? Who was really Conde Estruch, the vampire of Catalonia, and what happened to the witches of Llers Castle the count was said to use as his lair.
  • The Haunted Pub Crawl through Dublin
    Join a haunted pub crawl through Dublin’s ancient streets for ghosts and a pint of Guinness. From plotting revolutionaries to somber writers, these pubs and bars are said to be a place where some of the patrons have been lingering for a long time.
  • The Utburd of Børholmen and Erika Larsdatter Bogen: A Haunting and Scam That Reached the Courtroom
    In 1852, the alleged psychic Erika Larsdatter Bogen, arrived at Børholmen, a small island in western Norway. She claimed that she had found the ghost and corpse of the dead child, and she named the mother who allegedly buried it. But what was the truth?
  • Most Haunted Places in Ireland
    Ghostly whispers in the old castle ruins, soldiers haunting the bloody battlefields and even the drums of pagan druids still lingering, Ireland is certainly a haunted country. This is only a small portion of the most haunted places in Ireland and the ghost stories behind them.
  • The Brown Clad Man Haunting Sande Old Vicarage
    Who is the ghostly priest in brown, haunting the old Vicarage in Sande? Legend says he still carries guilt for the young boy he failed that had tragic consequences.
  • El Dip: The Catalan Vampire Hound
    In the rural mountainside in Catalonia, Spain, there have long been talk about a vampiric beast of a hound that has tormented the livestock and the unfortunate person walking outside after dark. Could this legend be the one where other iberian vampire legends sprung from?
  • The Haunting of Caerphilly Castle – The Lady in Green and the Hag of Death
    A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.

References:

Børholmen – Wikipedia

Utburd – Wikipedia

Erika Larsdatter Bogen : gjengangerhistorier fra Bergenskanten i 1850-Aarene

Kremmarleiet på Børholmen | Kringom

Ukategorisert

Most Haunted Places in Ireland

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Ghostly whispers in the old castle ruins, soldiers haunting the bloody battlefields and even the drums of pagan druids still lingering, Ireland is certainly a haunted country. This is only a small portion of the most haunted places in Ireland and the ghost stories behind them. 

There are too many ghost stories in Ireland to list. From ancient druids, tales of the Devil coming for a visit to play cards, revolutionaries fighting for Irish independence in the abandoned prisons and women in white lingering in the crumbling mansions. Here are just some of the most haunted places and ghost stories in Ireland. 

Lofthus Hall | County Wexford

According to the tale, Lord Anne Tottenham played cards one stormy night with a mysterious stranger who revealed himself to be the devil before vanishing in a burst of flame. The traumatized Anne never recovered and died in the very room where the encounter occurred, leading to rumours that her spirit still wanders the castle’s corridors. Numerous reports of paranormal activity including phantom figures, unexplained voices, and even the discovery of an infant skeleton in the walls.

Read the whole story: Loftus Hall – Ireland’s most haunted

Hellfire Club | Dublin

Montpelier Hill: Here from the hunting lodge at Montpelier Hill in Dublin, where the Hellfire Club had meetings and many of the stories of dark rituals and the likes comes from. //Source: Joe King/Wikimedia

This mysterious ruin perched atop the Dublin Mountains has long been steeped in sinister legend. Built in 1725 as a hunting lodge for William Conolly, the site later became home to the Hellfire Club, a secret society of the rich and powerful said to dabble in the occult, black masses and unspeakable ceremonies. Among the most enduring tales is that the devil himself once appeared as a nobleman invited to play cards with the club’s members, revealing his cloven hooves when picked-up the fallen card from the floor.  Besides those chilling legends the site is associated with ghostly figures, animal sacrifices and the uneasy notion that the lodge was built on top of an ancient grave or standing-stone cairn disturbed by the construction.

Read the whole story: The Mysterious Legends of Hellfire Club on Montpelier Hill

Kilmainham Gaol | Dublin

Built in 1796 and closed in 1924, Kilmainham Gaol housed not only ordinary criminals but many of Ireland’s most famous revolutionaries during the fight for independence. During its restoration in the 1960s workers reported numerous paranormal events like lights switching themselves on, footsteps echoing on empty corridors, and even violent episodes of unseen forces pinning people to walls. 

Read the whole story: The Ghosts of Kilmainham Gaol

Leamaneh Castle | County Clare

Leamaneh Castle: Today there are only ruins of the Leamaneh Castle amidst the green in County Clare in Ireland. It is believed that the castle is haunted by its former mistress, the Red Mary. //Source: Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia

Leamaneh Castle once served as the stronghold of the red-haired and formidable Mary Rua O’Brien, nicknamed Red Mary, who ruled its halls in the 1600s with harsh authority and a fearsome reputation. 

According to legend, her cruelty included brutal punishments, servants executing because of minor faults, and dark tales of death and betrayal tied to her multiple marriages and alliances. After her death her spirit is said to haunt the castle ruins, appearing near the castle itself and also near a nearby druidic altar.

Read the whole story: Leamaneh Castle and the Ghost of Red Mary

Leap Castle | County Offaly

Source

Once ruled by the ruthless O’Carroll clan, the castle is said to harbor dozens of spirits, among them the fearsome entity known as the “Elemental,” a malevolent force believed to predate the castle, perhaps rooted in ancient druidic rituals. Within its walls lurk stories of the “Red Lady,” a woman dressed in scarlet who wanders the corridors clutching a dagger after her child was killed. In the castle’s infamous “Bloody Chapel” the murdered priest’s slow footsteps are still heard.

Read the whole story: The Ghost Crowds of Leap Castle

Malahide Castle | County Dublin

Some of the more famous ghostly residents include Lady Maud Plunkett, who is believed to pursue the ghost of her ill-fated husband through the corridors following his death on his wedding day. Miles Corbet, the Cromwellian soldier awarded the estate and later executed, whose apparition is said to appear fully armoured before dissolving into pieces. Puck, a former jester at the castle, allegedly murdered and cursed to haunt the castle until a master from common stock rules there; his figure appears in towers and hidden passages. 

Read the whole story: The Ghostly Legends of Malahide Castle

Aughrim Battlefield | County Galway

Aughrim Battlefield: Depiction of the Battle of Aughrim (1691) by John Mulvany. The battle was a bloody one and it is believed that the ghosts of the fallen soldiers is still haunting the fields.

Aughrim Battlefield is haunted by the ghosts of soldiers from the 1691 battle. The brutal clash between Jacobite and Williamite forces left thousands dead, and locals claim the cries of the wounded and the clash of weapons can still be heard on misty evenings. Apparitions of soldiers, horsemen, and priests have been seen moving through the fog as if the battle never ended.

Read the whole story: The Bloody Hauntings at Aughrim Battlefield

Charles Fort | County Cork

The Star Shaped Fort: Charles Fort was built on the site of the ruins of an earlier stronghold known as Barry Óg Castle, at Rincurran. The Ringcurran defences had featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale in 1601. Now the fort is in ruins and only ghost story remains. //Source: Dieglop/Wikimedia

Legend tells of Wilful Warrender, newly married and wandering the ramparts with her husband when tragedy struck: a guard asleep on duty was shot by her father, the fort’s commander, only for the body to turn out to be her husband. Grief-stricken, she flung herself from the wall into the cold sea below. Since that fateful night, glimpses of a woman in a white wedding dress have been reported navigating the corridors, peering through windows, drifting through locked doors. Children playing in the fort’s barracks have spoken of a pale figure bending over their beds, while officers stationed on duty have described being pushed down stairs by unseen hands.

Read the whole story: The White Lady of Kinsale Haunting Charles Fort

Coolbawn House | County Wexford

Image: Mike Searle / Coolbawn House (2) / CC BY-SA 2.0

In the countryside, the ruins of Coolbawn House, once a grand 19th-century mansion now overtaken by ivy and time. The house hides a tragic legend of a young servant girl, struck by lightning as she stood by a window during a storm, and died instantly. Her outline was said to have been seared onto the glass by the bolt and her spirit now haunts the ruined shell of the building, often glimpsed standing by the glassless window she died at. While the mansion burned in 1923 and has remained abandoned, witnesses claim the ghost still lingers, seemingly forever watching the sky she once faced.

Read the whole story: Coolbawn House and the Lighting Ghost

Ballinagarde House | County Limerick

Built in 1774 by the Croker family, the estate fell into ruin as its owners squandered their fortune. One evening a mysterious stranger on horseback was invited inside, only for a servant to reveal his cloven hoof after removing his boots. The next morning the visitor and his horse were gone, but the floor bore scorched hoof-marks and the locals adopted the phrase “as sure as the devil was in Ballinagarde”. Over time the house became connected to the secretive Hellfire Club and dark rituals allegedly held within the estate.

Read the whole story: Ballinagarde House and the Devil that Came to Visit

Charleville Castle | County Offaly,

Source

Charleville Castle with its imposing towers rise from land ancient druids once walked. Inside, visitors report eerie mists in the corridors, ghostly children playing on the staircase, and mysterious monks in hooded robes drifting through locked rooms. Among the most haunting is the spirit of a young girl named Harriet, who died falling down the castle’s grand banister. Outside, the legendary King Oak is said to foretell death in the owning family whenever a branch falls.

Read the whole story: Charleville Castle and the Mystical Ley Lines 

Cork District Mental Hospital | County Cork

Also called Our Lady’s Hospital and Eglinton Lunatic Asylum, became infamous for overcrowding, filthy conditions, and the incarceration of the innocent; inspection reports from the 1930s described wards with no soap or towels, plywood-covered windows and toilets without seats. In the years since its closure in 1992 and the partial fire in 2017 the site has been converted into apartments, but the haunted echoes remain. Visitors and former workers report chilling footsteps in empty corridors.

Read the whole story: Cork District Mental Hospital and its Horrible History

Duckett’s Grove | County Carlow

A young woman died in a riding accident on the estate, and her grief-stricken mother cast a piseóg, an Irish curse, on the Duckett family. In the years that followed, witnesses claim to hear the banshee’s wail echoing through the towers before misfortune struck those who heard it: livelihoods lost, sudden deaths, and unexplained despair. Visitors also report ghostly figures of the Duckett family, mysterious lights among the ruins, and the fearful orbs of a demonic dog with glowing red eyes. 

Read the whole story: The Banshee Curse Haunting Duckett’s Grove

Ballyheigue Castle | County Kerry

According to legend, in 1730 a Danish ship laden with silver went down near the coast and its cargo ended up in the hands of the castle’s owners, the Crosbie family. A photograph taken in 1962 shows a ghostly figure in a window of the ruined castle holding a sword, believed by many to be one of the Danish crew still guarding the hidden silver. Some locals insist the treasure remains buried beneath the ruins and that the chilling apparition reappears each year on the anniversary of the wreck.

Read the whole story: The Haunting of Ballyheigue Castle and the Tale of Lost Treasure

Wicklow Gaol | County Wicklow

Wicklow Gaol: Today the old prison is turned into a museum, and believed to be haunted by the former inmates. // Source: Sheila1988/Wikimedia

Wicklow Gaol, often referred to as “The Gates of Hell,” is a former prison, renowned for its dark history and reported paranormal activity. Established in 1702 and operational until 1924, the gaol housed prisoners during significant events such as the 1798 Rebellion and the Great Famine. Visitors and staff have reported numerous ghostly encounters. In the old schoolroom, a young boy’s apparition is frequently seen, and a mysterious mist has been observed following individuals around the room. Cell 5 is noted for sudden temperature changes and shifting odors, while Cell 13 is associated with the spirit of a young girl named Grace, believed to have died there during the Famine. A woman in a black cloak is often seen near Cell 22, and a shadowy figure appears in the ship-themed exhibit. Additionally, a malevolent entity named “Jack” is reported to haunt the gaol, displaying aggressive behavior toward women.

Read the whole story: Wicklow Gaol and it’s Haunting Gates of Hell

Belvelly Castle | County Cork

Lady Margaret Hodnett was a vain noblewoman who adorned her castle with numerous mirrors to admire her beauty. When she rejected the advances of Clon Rockenby, he besieged the castle, leading to a prolonged starvation of its inhabitants. Upon surrendering, Margaret’s appearance had deteriorated, shocking Clon. In a fit of rage, he shattered one of her cherished mirrors, and shortly after, he was fatally wounded by her brother. Clon cursed Margaret, wishing her to seek her reflection forever without finding it. Margaret descended into madness, obsessively searching for mirrors, which she had initially banned, to reclaim her lost beauty. Her spirit is said to haunt the castle, appearing as a faceless woman in white or with a veiled face, often seen touching walls where mirrors once hung. 

Read the whole story: The Haunting of Belvelly Castle

Rosses Point | County Sligo

Rosses Point: The entire area is said to be haunted by the wrecked sailors that met a watery grave off the coast of Rosses Point and Sligo Bay.

Rosses Point, perched on the wild Atlantic shores, is said to be haunted by the restless souls of shipwrecked sailors, smugglers and the unseen fairies of Irish legend. With over sixty documented wrecks in nearby Sligo Bay, many who vanished beneath the waves are believed to still linger in the fog and surf. The legendary poet W.B. Yeats once claimed that no place in Ireland held as many spirits as Rosses Point. 

Read the whole story: The Spirits at Rosses Point on the Rugged Shores

Kilkenny Castle | County Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle: An old photo of Kilkenny Castle from 1890 or 1900.

Home to the Butler family for over 600 years, the castle is now believed to be haunted by as many as forty-one spirits. Among them, the most frequently sighted is the ethereal White Lady, thought to be Lady Margaret Butler, grandmother of Anne Boleyn, seen gliding through the gardens or along the corridors at dusk. In the old Parade Tower, an electronic visitor counter has recorded over a hundred entries after hours, long after the doors were locked and without any staff or official tour present. Staff and visitors alike report chilled air, sudden sensations of being watched and ghostly footsteps. The dungeon beneath the tower, where countless prisoners once languished, is also said to emanate distress and cold spots.

Read the whole story: The Haunting Legacy of Kilkenny Castle

Lisheen House | County Sligo

Lisheen House: Today, the house is almost taken back by nature and only its shell remains. The house was thought to be haunted, possible even cursed by poltergeist like activity. There could be because of an alleged curse put on the family there, or something from the strange and foreign artifacts that were brought back. //Source

Built during the Great Famine by William Phibbs and later transformed into a collection hub of Egyptian relics by his descendant Owen Phibbs, the mansion is said to have awakened malevolent forces. Servants reported violent poltergeist activity of objects thrown, phantom coaches outside, the house shaking violently. By 1938 the family fled, leaving it to crumble. The ruins now stand quiet, ivy-clad and brooding, a testament to treasures once brought home and the restless spirits they may have stirred.

Read the whole story: The Cursed Lisheen House and the Haunting Egyptian Artifacts

Ross Castle | County Meath

Built in 1536 for Richard Nugent, 12th Lord of Delvin, known as the Black Baron, the castle’s dark legacy is tied to his daughter Sabrina Nugent. Despite her family’s cruelty and bitter enmities, Sabrina fell in love with Orwin O’Reilly, son of one of her father’s sworn foes. Their secret escape ended in tragedy when their boat capsized on the lake. Sabrina survived but succumbed to grief and starvation, while Orwin drowned, leaving the pair forever separated. Today, visitors speak of Sabrina’s ghost drifting through the tower where she died and of her father’s own tormented presence roaming the halls.

Read the whole story: Ross Castle and the Tragic Haunting of a Doomed Love

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References:

Ukategorisert

The Brown Clad Man Haunting Sande Old Vicarage

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Who is the ghostly priest in brown, haunting the old Vicarage in Sande? Legend says he still carries guilt for the young boy he failed that had tragic consequences. 

The old vicarage in Sande stands empty now. It is sometimes rented out for gatherings and celebrations, but no one works or sleeps in the Blue Hall (Blåsalen) anymore, said to be haunted by the ghost of a former priest.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Norway

The church in Sande also has its legend. Some say it was cursed in the middle ages and that it would slide out in the Sande River around Pentecost in the future. Around Christmastime, the church bells are said to ring by themselves. The whole place is filled with haunts.

“The Black Hammer” Priest

Locals call him “The Brown Man”, named for the long, dark garment he wears. He seems particularly attached to Blåsalen, located on the second floor of the oldest part of the building. Many believe he is the ghost of a former parish priest.

Most claim the ghost is Hans Daniel Hammer, but also his father, Christoffer Paul Hammer, has been believed to haunt the place. 

Christoffer Paul Hammer lived at the vicarage around 1770 with his wife, Regitza. They had eight children, but only three survived into adulthood, one of them Hans Daniel. Hammer was known as “The Black Hammer”, a nickname inspired by his dark hair and his stern personality and his time as a student in Copenhagen, when he was the strongest and fiercest, tossing unwanted people out from his favorite pub. 

As a parish priest, he was deeply religious and uncompromising. In Norway 250 years ago, church attendance was mandatory. The priest was seen as both God’s servant and the king’s representative on earth. His word was law and could decide your whole future.

Confirmation marked the transition into adulthood. Young people had to recite Bible verses perfectly, an ordeal known as “standing before the priest.” Failure meant no marriage, no work, and no future. It is no wonder the youth of Sande feared Hammer’s judgment. 

The Confirmation: In Norway and Denmark, confirmation was made mandatory by law in 1736. With the mandate, confirmation became a legal necessity for full entry into adult society. No one could be called up for military service, enter into marriage, be a godfather at a baptism or witness in court without a confirmation certificate. And if one had not appeared for confirmation by the age of 19, one could be punished with a house of correction or the cane. If the confirmand did not pass the public examination in the church, he was “dismissed” and had to be confirmed again the next year.// Source: Illustration taken from the book Norske Folkelivsbilleder by Tidemand, Adolph and published by Chr. Tønsberg (Christiania, 1854)

The boy who never grew up

No one knows exactly why Hammer refused to confirm the young boy at the heart of this legend, or if it was the Black-Hammer or his son who was the one refusing the young boy’s confirmation. There are however no records that the son ever denied anyone their confirmation. His father on the other hand, denied 84. 

Some say the boy’s family was too poor to offer money to the church and there is a legend about how he was refused because he had no shoes. Others believe he simply failed to remember a Bible verse correctly.

Some believe that it could have been Tungan Olsson who failed his test in 1771 by the senior priest. Some say that it happened in the early 1800s to 1812 when Hans Daniel Hammer died.

What is certain is that Hammer was not satisfied.

The humiliation was devastating. With his future destroyed and shame cast upon his family, the boy ran to the Sande River close by the church and drowned himself. Instead of confirming him, the priest had to bury him instead.

A priest’s unbearable guilt

The tragedy struck Hammer deeply. Not only did he feel responsible for the boy’s death, but suicide was considered a grave sin. According to the Bible, the boy had denied God, and the gates of heaven were closed to him.

The thought of the boy’s soul suffering eternal punishment haunted the priest. Although Christoffer Paul Hammer died peacefully of a stroke in August 1793, while sitting in his armchair, peace did not follow him into death.

The Restless Spirit Haunting Sande Vicarage

Shortly after his burial, sightings began.

Priestess Ovidia Kaurin, married to the priest Christian Kaurin (1883–1891), told of an encounter with Hammer on the stairs. When her husband was lying ill on the second floor, she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw a figure in a brown cloak who smiled at her, without frightening her. 

The author Andreas Munch, who grew up in the rectory from 1812 to 1818, also described unexplained experiences from his childhood. In 1943, the historian of religion Karl Vold, who stayed overnight in the rectory, reported footsteps and groans that kept him awake all night, which influenced his lecture the next day. 

A dean even met Hammer on the stairs and exclaimed, “In the name of Jesus, go in peace,” after which the ghost smiled. According to legend, the spirit vanished and did not return for nearly a hundred years. But eventually, the footsteps came back.

Others have awakened to find him standing beside their bed. When they reach out to touch him, he dissolves into mist. His footsteps have been heard, walking over the floor, even in the 50s and 60s, when the floor was gone. 

A few years ago, Odd K. Arntzen was on a job as an electrician in the old rectory in Sande when he heard clear and rhythmic footsteps from above on the second floor. He went up the stairs to see who it was, but there was no one there.

The Brown Man haunting Sande Vicarage lingers, burdened by guilt and regret, unable to forgive himself for the consequences of his judgment.

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References:

DEN ANGRENDE SOGNEPRESTEN på prestegården i Sande – Issuu

Sagn, spøkelseshistorier og dystre skjebner

‘Den brune mannen i Sande gamle prestegård – DigitaltMuseum

Sande prestegård – paranormal.no

Den brune mannen på Sande gamle prestegård – Serieliv

Hammer, Christofer Paul (2.3.1718 – 4.9.1793) | Drammen Byleksikon

Kjartaniske vers – Gjengangeren som skrev brev til den synske sognepresten – Pennen er mektigere

Norges mest synlige spøkelse